Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-12-28
SNAKE-BITE ANTlDOTE.
An Opportunity for Somebody to Render
Great Service to Science.


Great Service to Science.
Some years ago DIR. ]. B. De Lacerda, a
learned scientist of Brazil, conducted a
number of experiments with the purpose
IF discovering an antidots for the poison
Of venomous serpents. He at last tried as
\ chemical antidote permanganate of po-
sassium injected into the bite, and met
with wonderful success. The result of his
experiments he published in book form,
and at the time his brochure attracted
considerable attention among scientists.
Some discrsdit was, however, thrown
upon his experiments by an attempt to re-
peat them in France, which was an abso-
lute failure. Believing that there was
good deal of truth in what DIR. De
Lacerda claims, DIR. Yarrow, of the
Smithsonian Institute, has, according to
Washington correspondent, undertaken
4 series OF experiments with the
poison OF rattlesnakes, intending to
use the permanganate of potassium
as an antidote. Various herbal prepara-
tions, having the reputation among coun-
try folk of being remarkably efficacious in
cases OF snake bite, will also be tried, and
a fine specimen of "mad-stone," ;" popularity
supposed to be possessed of great virtue
in such cases, has been procured, aud will
be tested, in order TO set at rest once and
forever the conflicting opinions on this
much debated subject. DIR. Yarrow has
procured four fine specimens OF rattle
snakes from Loudon County, Virginia,
and during the past week he has been col.
lecting from them a quantity of their
venom. The manner of doing this was as
follows: Taking long stick, to the end
OF which was scurely fastened q broad
leather strap, he confined the lat
81
inches from the end of the stick so as to
make a loop bslow which could be
drawn tight Armed with this in instrument
he caught the reptiles one by one, by
passing the loop over their heads. An as
sistant then held thin stick, to the end
of which was attached piece of cotton
wool saturated with glycerine, to the
mouth of the snake and he was made to
bite the wool, which soaked up the venom
emitted freely by the angry creature as it
buried its fangs in its inanimate enemy.
The poisonous virus having thus been ex-
tracted from the serpents it was soaked
out in an ounce of slycerins, and the op-
GRAFTON repeated on the following day.
drachm and half OF venom has thus
been secured, or more than enough to kill
thirty men. The experiments will be con.
Quoted on pigeons and rabbits. A certain
quantity of virus, sufficient to kill, will
be hypodermically injected into a pigeon
as the first experiment Then little
more than was enough to kill will be in
jected into another pigeon and immedi-
ately followed by an injection of the per-
manganate of potassium, which it is be.
heved will prove an antidote. The ex-
periments will then be continued, allow
ing varying spaces of time to elapse be-
tween the injection of the virus and the
application of the antidote. In this con-
nection, DIR. Yarrow is anxious to find a
man who would like to be bitten by a rat
tlesnake in the cause of science, and who
would be willing to take his chances of
surviving the experiment. Should an an.
tidote for snake e-bite be found by DR.. Var
row il the course of these experiments, he
will confer an incalculable benefit upon
mankind